September 26, 1998

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Reuben Droughns rushed for 214 yards and three touchdowns and Akili Smith threw for four first-half touchdowns as No. 20 Oregon put on another impressive offensive display to beat Stanford 63-28.

Oregon (4-0, 1-0 Pac-10) piled up 664 yards in offense and scored its most points since a 97-0 defeat of Willamette in 1916. It was the most points ever given up by the Cardinal (1-3, 0-2) since the school began playing football in 1891.

Droughns ran for second-half touchdowns of 1, 67 and 40 yards and became the first player in Oregon history to rush for 200 yards twice in a season. The junior transfer ran for 202 yards and scored three TDs in a season-opening 48-14 victory over Michigan State. He sprained his right ankle the following game against UTEP and sat out last week's 58-3 victory over San Jose State.

Smith completed 18-of-29 passes for 357 yards, 313 in the first half. He also threw four first-half TDs against Michigan State.

In a typically wild contest, the teams combined for 568 passing yards in the first half as Oregon built a 42-21 lead.

The Ducks had lost their last three to the Cardinal and six of seven, but Smith and Oregon's receivers were too much this time.

In the previous five games, the teams averaged 930 yards and 71 points. Stanford won last year's game 58-49 as the teams combined for 1,108 yards and a Pac-10-record 107 points. The teams gained 1,056 yards Saturday.

Damon Griffin caught five passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Jed Weaver added five receptions for 84 yards and a TD.

Oregon, averaging 50.5 points per game, is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1988 and only the third time since 1964.

The Cardinal was without star receiver and kick returner Troy Walters, who missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle. In his absence, DeRonnie Pitts caught 10 passes for 158 yards and a TD.

Stanford quarterback Todd Husak was 16-of-34 for 211 yards and two touchdowns.

Smith threw his first TD pass just 1:20 into the game to Griffin, who beat freshman cornerback Brian Taylor badly and ran for a 37-yard touchdown. Taylor had replaced sophomore Ruben Carter at the position in the second half of Stanford's 37-34 victory over North Carolina last weekend.

On the kickoff, Stanford's Coy Wire bobbled the ball and took a vicious hit from Michael Fletcher, jarring the ball loose. Dietrich Moore jumped on it at the Cardinal 14, and three plays later Derien Latimer scored from a yard out.

Griffin later outran Taylor again for a 34-yard gain that set up Smith's 13-yard TD pass to Tony Hartley. Finally, Griffin turned in the play of the game in the second quarter when he bobbled a pass, which Taylor tipped back to Griffin, who shook three tacklers and dove across the goal line for a 35-yard score to make it 35-7.

By LANDON HALL
Associated Press Writer